STELLENBOSCH

Stellenbosch is small wine District a located at the southern end of the Coastal Region of the Western Cape Province, just on the northeast edge of False Bay.

The climate is moderate and classically Mediterranean, warm and dry, but also receiving cooling Southern Ocean air sweeping in and up the hills. The proximity to False Bay tempers the summer temperatures, which generally stay a bit below 70 degrees F. This allows for long times and great ripeness without compromising acidity in the ripened fruit.

The District is the second-oldest wine area in South Africa, first planted in 1679, shortly after the Constantia Estate.

The hillside areas are mostly decomposed granites, with deeper alluvial soils in the lower valleys.

De trafford

Alistair & Mavis Trafford purchasesd the Mont Fleur property, at the time inaccessible grazing land with amazing views over the Blauklippen Valley below, in 1976. Farmed today by their son David, an architect gone rogue, and his wife Rita, a textile artist and professional chef; the two recognized the potential of the property for vines and established the first experimental plantings in 1983, with the vineyards and winery starting in 1992

Mont Fleur is located high up (1300ft above sea level) on the Eastern slopes of the Helderberg Mountain, the closest mountain in Stellenbosch to the sea. These complex granitic based soils have an ideal clay content that allows good drainage and sufficient water retention at the same time.

David is a soils, a site, a terroir fanatic. He’s worked with local experts to core-sample and map the soils on the property, and to understand not only which varietals are best-suited, but even which clones of which varietals make the cut. The vineyards are worked in what one might call an “organic-adjacent” manner, with minimal use (but not quite zero) of chemical inputs. Learn more about David’s philosophy here.